conanthelibrarian

Yes, there will be a huge debate on apple products but I got to say, this thing is awesome! I use it everyday at work. It not only keeps me up to date on e-mail but I use the camera more often than I thought I would.

BanjoBear

thailar

The iPad 3 is just about the same in speed as iPad 2, almost identical (due to the higher resolution. The iPad 4 is usually about 3x performance in benchmarks, however the real world usage won't be nearly as noticeable. I personally would rather dish out the extra cash for the latest and greatest, however, it probably isn't worth the difference for the average user.

VeeRay

I am neither an Apple fanboy nor hater. As proof of my neutrality, let me say that I have an iPod and iPhone, but two Windows laptops and no Macs. I don't own an iPad, but have used them quite a bit. I bought from Woot and returned the Asus TF-300T and keyboard. Nice idea, I like keyboards more than touchscreens for some things, seemed like a better value for money, but my takeaway (when the thing was working) was that for me, iOS made for a better tablet than Android did. Easier and better to work with, and it seems to always be the one with the better or more smoothly accomplished apps and approaches. Just my 2 cents - I'm sure that dedicated Android users would have a different view.

To my surprise, I've also found that the smaller iPad Mini is probably the sweet spot (and still prefer it to the very nice Nexus 7), but that's another debate entirely.

skispeakeasy

note2001 wrote:I must be silly to think I can compare this to the Asus tablet with keyboard dock for $330 also on woot. But indulge me:

What really pushes the ipad over the top when comparing the two 32Gb systems? Is it just the name and status that makes the iPad worth 120 more?

The magic of Apple is in it's fluidity and stability. I've tried several Android devices and the apps themselves run the same but in terms of navigation Androids are pretty clunky, which is annoying when you are typing or trying to get back and forth between apps. That being said, the range of apps and the prices are way cheaper on Android for pretty much the same thing.

There are many pro apps that you cannot get on Android. The two I miss most are Filemaker Go and OmniFocus. Both developers have no plans of developing for Android.

soundxli

It's an OK price but they come with a 90 warranty. So if you're leaning toward the 32GB model spend the extra $20 and get an Apple refurbished iPad at store.apple.com that comes with a full one year Apple warranty (and it's eligible for AppleCare+ for $99). The Apple refurbished 32GB iPad3 is available but the 16GB is out of stock on the Apple website.

morninglark

I am typing this on a 3rd gen. Mine has wifi+ 3G capability but I use it over wifi except when traveling away from home, then I buy a month of service. I like that it is prepaid and you don't have to have a contract.

IMHO, GPS is unnecessary on a tablet. Besides for the paranoid among us, GPS is a negative--it turns whatever you are carrying into a personal tracker--well the cell phone connectivity does. Third, true gps only works outdoors with a open view of the sky. Most personal, GPS devices actually use the wifi hotspots and cell pings to triangulate your position. This last probably explains why no GPS system I have owned as ever correctly located me in my home--cell phones and my ipad they always place me a block or two away and my actual gps puts me on the wrong side of the block. :-)

The 32 is a good deal, the difference between 16 and 32gb is usually more.

The rentina display is why I couldn't use a 2 nd gen and had to wait for this model -I'm one of those eyestrain people. :-)

iOS4 (iPhone Operating System 4) took a huge step forward when it introduced Multitasking. Most iPad owners don't know what it is and probably don't care, but they probably also don't realize that many apps will stay open and run in the background when the iPad is on due to multitasking, and the iPad remembers the apps that were running even when you turn it off and turn it back on. I would go so far as to say that the iPad hibernates when you turn it off. So the same apps will open and run in the background every time you turn off the iPad and turn it back on (I know because I just tried it on my iPad 3 with iOS 5.1.1). So every time you tap an icon on the screen the app opens, you see it and use it, and when done you press the home key, and you don't realize it is still running in the background. It's not like a PC or Mac computer that forgets what you were doing when you turn it off and turn it on (except if you turn it off with hibernation). The best way to "turn off" the apps running in the background is to follow the tips at the links above.

drpoomanchu

If your actually thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these. This is a decent deal but please do yourself a favor and do a little research online via a reputable source... Quite a bit of mis-information posted here. Get the facts and differences on the 2,3,4th gen iPads. See what's best suited for your needs. Do some research on ios vs android. Allot of these posts are opinion based.

Mrxiro

jaster wrote:Not quite sure what you mean when you say they do NOT have GPS capability. I have this model ipad, and yes it does have GPS. I rarely use it, but it is there! I find the gps to be pretty accurate as well. My ipad can pinpoint what corner of the house I am in on a map. Google maps has the ability to cache maps as well, just download the needed maps at home, turn on the internal GPS(I leave mine off most of theim to conserve battery) and off you go! I find the ipad to be just as accurate as my android phone. Sure, if you don't download the maps before you go out, then you have no map to use since you can't download on the fly unless you tether it, but saying it is not GPS capable is inaccurate. It does use wifi to triangulate your location and get a rough estimate of where you are if the gps is turned off, but there is a genuine,fully functioning, internal GPS inside.

You are absolutely 100% wrong. There is no GPS chip on any of the Wifi iPad models. The GPS chip is built into the cellular chip on iDevices so if you don't have cellular you don't of GPS. Please stop giving out misinformation when you are misinformed.
I've had every iPad made minus the 4th Gen 2 were wifi and 1 was LTE. Only the LTE has GPS. The rest triangulate your location via your internet location and though accurate when you're not moving within a 50 foot radius. You will NOT be able to navigate anywhere like you do with an actual GPS or when using any of the GPS apps.

rcl3027

I agree, the 16g is the deal @ 399.00. They are selling the 2nd Gen with 16g for that same price, 399.00. So you get a bit more speed but the retina display makes so much difference. I have owned a 2nd Gen and now use a 3rd Gen.

wisenekt

xstevejx wrote:As usual, for only $15 more, you can get one direct from Apple w/ a whole 1-year warranty.

If Apple is doing the refurb, then really I don't think anyone at the store will be able to tell a difference. At the stores I have been to, the Genius Bar will help with any device, in warranty or not.

iOS4 (iPhone Operating System 4) took a huge step forward when it introduced Multitasking. Most iPad owners don't know what it is and probably don't care, but they probably also don't realize that many apps will stay open and run in the background when the iPad is on due to multitasking, and the iPad remembers the apps that were running even when you turn it off and turn it back on. I would go so far as to say that the iPad hibernates when you turn it off. So the same apps will open and run in the background every time you turn off the iPad and turn it back on (I know because I just tried it on my iPad 3 with iOS 5.1.1). So every time you tap an icon on the screen the app opens, you see it and use it, and when done you press the home key, and you don't realize it is still running in the background. It's not like a PC or Mac computer that forgets what you were doing when you turn it off and turn it on (except if you turn it off with hibernation). The best way to "turn off" the apps running in the background is to follow the tips at the links above.

Thank you so much for this info. I've owned my IPad for over a year and didn't know a lot of this stuff!

"When I die, I want to go
as my grandfather did:
quietly, peacefully, in his sleep.
Not like his passengers."

skiwithchar

morninglark wrote:I am typing this on a 3rd gen. Mine has wifi+ 3G capability but I use it over wifi except when traveling away from home, then I buy a month of service. I like that it is prepaid and you don't have to have a contract.

I just got a 3g iPad and didn't realize just buying 3g service on a month-by-month basis was an option. Do you get that option thru your reg mobile carrier or thru some other means? Any and all info on options in that area would be wonnnnderful!

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